The aviation industry is facing a complex landscape in 2025, with an estimated 38.9 million flights expected globally. Factors such as staffing challenges and unpredictable weather continue to impact airline and airport schedules. In its latest report, “On-Time Performance Review 2025,” aviation analytics firm Cirium identifies the top-performing airports and airlines that excelled in punctuality amidst these challenges.
Istanbul Airport has emerged as the leading airport for performance and reliability. Handling over 84 million passengers annually across 330 destinations, it became Europe’s first airport to implement triple independent runway operations in April 2025, increasing capacity from 120 to 148 movements per hour. According to Cirium, Istanbul Airport demonstrated that “scale and complexity can coexist with consistency and control,” achieving an on-time performance (OTP) of 80.72%. This places it at No. 19 globally among large airports, ranking between San Francisco International (SFO) at No. 18 and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW) at No. 20.
Top Performers in Various Categories
In terms of OTP alone, Santiago Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport in Chile was the best-performing large airport, maintaining a remarkable 87.04% punctuality across 153,326 flights serving 68 routes. The recent inauguration of its new Terminal 2 has significantly enhanced its capacity. Tocumen International Airport in Panama City was recognized as the best medium-sized airport, achieving a punctuality rate of 93.34% across 148,065 flights. José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport in Ecuador topped the small airport category with an OTP of 91.47% over 34,068 flights.
Cirium’s Platinum Winner for airlines, Qatar Airways, also received accolades as the world’s best airline from air transport rating organization Skytrax. The airline achieved an OTP of 84.42% across 198,303 flights, marking a notable improvement from 82.83% in 2024. Cirium highlighted Qatar Airways’ ability to navigate disruptions in 2025, including geopolitical airspace constraints and weather-related challenges, ensuring key connections remained intact.
For the second consecutive year, Aeroméxico was the top airline for OTP, delivering an impressive 90.02% punctuality across 188,859 flights. In the Asia Pacific region, Philippine Airlines led with 83.12% punctuality on 116,268 flights, which is noteworthy given the congestion often experienced at its main hub, Manila Ninoy Aquino International.
Regional Highlights and Future Outlook
In North America, Delta Air Lines achieved the highest punctuality rate at 80.9% across more than 1.8 million flights. Despite facing challenges such as air traffic control issues and a significant government shutdown, Cirium recognized Delta as a model of resilience.
Spain’s Iberia Express maintained its position as Europe’s top airline with an OTP of 88.94% across 37,119 flights, overcoming various operational challenges. In Latin America, Copa Airlines led with 90.75% punctuality across 133,748 flights. Cirium notes that this region is emerging as a dynamic player in global aviation, projected to account for 8.5% of worldwide passenger traffic in 2025, according to Airports Council International (ACI).
In the Middle East and Africa, FlySafair achieved a punctuality rate of 91.06% across 62,805 flights. Meanwhile, Virgin Atlantic was recognized as the Most Improved Airline for 2025, reaching an OTP of 83.45%, a significant increase from 74.01% in 2023.
The findings in Cirium’s report reflect a trend towards improving operational performance across the aviation sector, highlighting the importance of effective management in a challenging environment. As the industry continues to navigate these complexities, the focus on punctuality and reliability will remain critical for passenger satisfaction and cost efficiency.
